Upcoming Website Plans…
making the most of this website and how I plan to do that
Breaking Down the Costs
I pay $357.00 a year (in September) plus a $20 domain fee (in August) for the basic plan. While this is one of the cheaper options out there, to break this down I’d have to sell 26 books on this website to break even. Royalties from Amazon and Barnes & Noble are wayyyyy less than what I make selling direct so I won’t even attempt to break that down. If I am paying off this website with my day job, I’d have to work 22 hours (I get paid $17.50 per hour) without taxes being taken out.
But am I selling 26 books on this website each year? Nope. Self-publishing is not very lucrative. This is the fourth payment of the subscription so technically my fourth year with this website. The first year I sold 39 books, making $585 which is a $208 profit. The second year I sold 6 books (3 regular and 3 with painted edges) making $135 which is a $242 loss. In the third year I sold 2 books, making $30 which is a $347 loss. I haven’t made any sales yet this year, given that I just renewed my subscription yesterday, so I am currently at a $377 loss. So overall that is, 47 books sold with a $758 loss on this website. Yeah. I know. A lot. I would need to sell 51 books to break even right now.
So instead I have to turn to other ways to make the $377 a year I’m paying for this website.
But What Are Those Ways?
Omg I’m so glad you asked random header I wrote myself.
Over the last few days I’ve been thinking about ways I can make the yearly subscription worth paying and I’ve come up with a list (if you know me, you know I love lists)! This blog post will serve as a living “document” for me to jot down ideas on how to improve my website and make it worth the money.
The first thing on the list, so important that I’m using full sentences and not bullets, is that I am going to completely revamp my website. I’m going to re-evaluate the color scheme, update links, and polish projects I left unfinished.
The Bullet List
monthly wrap-ups + intros
2025: Sep. Wrap-Up + Oct. Intro
2025: Oct. Wrap-Up + Nov. Intro
2025: Nov. Wrap-Up + Dec. Intro
2025: Dec. Wrap-Up + Jan. Intro
writing teasers
about me/my books digital magazine
writing contests
writing challenges
posting ideas
weekly check-ins
opinion blog posts (literature, films, current events, food, etc.)
behind the scenes
how I make my paperbacks with painted edges
Like I said, this blog post is going to be updated as I work on my website and eventually this bullet list is going to turn into a series of links to take you to the different sections.
Note!
This is not including my marketing plan that is in the works to get more book sales. This is purely on how I can better utilize my website to make it worth the money I’m spending. I do hope to make more sales on my website this subscription year so I’m hopefully not at a loss but I know it will take a lot to get me out of the hole for what I’ve spent on this website. The dream would be to sell out of my entire stock of books which (as of Sep. 4, 2025) is 150 signed paperbacks and 5 signed paperbacks with painted edges. I am also 100% happy to make more paperbacks with painted edges should the demand for them appear but I also understand that they can be expensive because they are double the price of the regular paperbacks (because I have to factor in labor and supplies).
Check Out My Books
The Rescue (Peter Pan retelling set in Victorian London)
Things Unsaid (short poetry collection)
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